Brewer and pub operator JW Lees has picked national charge point operator Be.EV to bring ultra-rapid EV charging to patrons in a £1.8m deal.
Be.EV is installing 22 ultra-rapid charging bays at seven locations across the North West, with the existing charging infrastructure being upgraded at some sites.
The Urmston (Stretford), The Millgate (Failsworth), The Aviator (Stockport), The Bluebird Inn (Balderstone) and Duke of Gloucester (Crewe) are already switched on and available for public use.
These chargers will serve 12,500 local EV drivers across all these pubs, not including visiting drivers, who are increasingly looking for EV charging at places they’ll be visiting.
Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, said: “Regional partnerships are a cornerstone to the regeneration of our local areas, and we’re proud to be partnering with such a well-established northern business.
“Our charging hubs will offer JW Lees pub-goers a convenient moment to charge their car, and the chain is getting ahead of the curve by providing reliable, high-quality charging facilities for their customers so they can charge and drive responsibly.
“Some of the sites had charging technology that needed an upgrade. Fast chargers are already becoming outdated, and pub landlords need to consider upgrading their technology before they fall even further behind.”
William Lees-Jones, managing director at JW Lees, said: “As an EV driver myself for the last five years I know how important it is for drivers to have reliable, affordable and convenient EV chargers at pubs and at JW Lees we are working with Be.EV to make our pubs best in class in terms of EV provision.”
The Aviator in Stockport has been upgraded to six ultra-rapid bays, having previously consisted of four fast-charging bays which refill an EV battery in six to eight hours.
These new charging times are much better suited to visitors at JW Lees pubs, as they allow pub visitors to add up to 165 miles of range in a short 20-minute stop. This shows how retailers should never stop thinking about how they can improve the EV charging experience for their customers.
A further two pubs will have chargers installed in early 2025, with the Pointing Dog (Cheadle) and the Moss Trooper (Altrincham) all getting charging kits.
JW Lees owns and operates more than 150 pubs across the North West and North Wales, and is now part of the North’s largest public EV charging network.
Be.EV is the UK’s fastest growing EV charging network, established in Greater Manchester in 2019 and now operating across the UK. It currently manages a growing network of over 750 live charge points with an additional 250+ charge points being built for go-live across the UK by the end of 2024.
It is backed by £110m from Octopus Energy Generation – the majority shareholder and one of Europe’s largest renewable energy investors.